Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-05-14
MUSKRAT HUNTING.

themselves see those same wonderful
| mountains.
MUSkRAT HUNTING.
Sport Along the Patuxent River killing
these Intelligent Rodents.
Muskrat shooting is sport saws the Bal
tlmore Sun, which is attracting consider
aple attention now, and is being largely
/ engaged IN. During the winter few rats
are Killed, but 1t is not until the approach
Oh spring that the season fully opens The
large area OF marsh land along the Patux-
ent river and its numerous inlets form IA
vorite hunting grounds for muskrats, and
,hey are now being captured in large NAM
oers. Next to the beaver, the muskrat is
one OF the most ingenious of rodents in
me construction OF its houses and its mode
OF lie and habits are very interesting
They select the low river marsh lands as
their dwelling place, and there they build
thelr houses. A location is preferred which
Is Hooded at high tide, but which is clear
OF water at low ebb, and every creek and
almost every little inlet to the river affords
lnnumerable positions that are favorable.
Alter determining upon the exact position
OF tnelr house, the rats burrow leads or
miniature tunnels from the waters edge at
low tioe TO the spot upon which the house
| is to be erected.
They then set about collecting material
for their dwelling. The tall canes and
coarse marsh grass are cut down and
| pulled IN place, and the marsh mud is used
as kind of mortar. A large circular
| foundation is laid, and the ground floor ar
ranged ON level with the leads. This
completed, an upward lead is made like
| spiral stairway to the second floor, which
Is made INTO room similar to the first, but
OF less circumference. A third, and some
| tunes fourth floor is built with the spiral
lead running from the level of the marsh
to the top of the house. each succeeding
room being of somewhat less diameter up
to the roof or dome, which acts as a water
! shed. The hight of each floor from the
level OF the marsh is regulated by the sue
| cessive nights reached by the tide. the ton
| floor being always higher than the highest
water mark at flood tide. The rats are
| social in their habits, and at extreme low
ebb, when the accommodations are greatest
IN the houses, quite a number NAV be
| found in the same hut. At flood time
fewer are found in any one house, as the
accommodation is limited then only TO the
upper stories, which are free of water. but
these are all the more easily secured by the
hunter
There are three ways by which the rats
are captured-by shooting. by trapping and
by spearing. few may be secured at
night by creeping as noiselessly as possible
along the creek edges and watching for
them.to crawl up on the bank to feed. In
this they are very dainty. Having secured
tayorite root, they approach cautiously
the water edge, dip it in and rub off the
mud, dip 1t in again and again until il is
| perfectly clean and suited to their taste.
| when 1t is eaten with evident relish, pro-
| Vlded the sportsman IS sufficiently inter
es.ed IN the process to wait A boat, how
ever, Is usually used, as the rats can be
more easily and quietly approached OH the
| water. In this case two persons occupy
the same boat, the sportsman requiring a
| puSher, as in the case of ortolans As this
! sport can only be engaged in at night. the
SKY must be comparatively clear that the
| sportsman may have the advantage of the
moonlight, or, better still, bright starlight.
A headlight with reflector is, however,
sometimes used on the bow of the boat.
| and this arrangement is frequently quite
successful during the darker nights to one
suflclently well acquainted with the hunt
ing grounds
Trapping is another of the modes by
which the rats are secured. The traps are
made of boards about six inches wide and
three feet long. These are nailed together
ike an ordinary box trap, the open ends
being secured by swinging doors of wire
network, fastened to the upper part of
both entrances. These doors allow easy
lngress to the trap, but once in, the rat
cannot get out without opening the door
by pulling it to him, which secret they
seem very slow to discover. These trans
are put in the leads running from the
houses to the water when the tide is at
low ebb and the rats are out feeding. On
the return they crawl up the leads. push
against one of the wire doors of the tran
which Immediately opens into the trap, but
he cannot go farther. as the next door
opens toward him. Before he can gnaw
out the tide makes up and he is drowned
IN the trap. By having number of traps
and watching the tides closely a trapper
can capture large number in this way.
The most destructive mode of capture is
by spearing. -Four or five rods of iron 3 or
4 feet long are secured in cross section
frame of wood or iron, and their points are
well sharpened, and with this he hunter
approaches the rat house as quietly as pos
slble, as the inmates are constantly on the
alert, and If alarmed Will quickly run down
their spiral stairway ami run into the
leads. Stepping to the side of the house, |
he reaches up over it and plunges the |
spears down through it as far as he can |
push them. With pick he pulls the |
houses to pieces, and frequently finds two |
impaled by the spears. This destructive |
method is, however, not looked upon with |
favor by sportsmen, as it tends to drive the |
rats away from the more accessible parts OF |
the marsh. The muskrat is somewhat |
similar in appearance to his dry-land |
cousin, but is incumparably larger. The |
brown muskrat when full grown, will |
measure II or II inches from the tip of the |
nose to the root of the tail, and his rat like |
candal appendage sometimes attains !
length of eight inches. Muskrat skins are |
valuable for their soft, glossy fur. and are |
bought by traders at from &c to l0c EACH |
and sold to furriers. The flesh of the |
muskrat is said to be quite palatable, and |
is sometimes eaten. These river rats are |
specified by peculiar kind of musk in
closed in little fatty sack just under the !
skin in the lower part of the body. The
muskrat season opens early in winter and
closes in Nav